CHENNAI: The legendary gardens of the Taj West End are a perfect example of how a multi-layered green space can co-exist quite happily with a commercial venture and flourish even as the years go by.
“This is a healthy eco-system and all elements work in harmony with each other like one close-knit family,” says SVI Prasad Rao, a walking talking botany encyclopedia and senior horticulturist. His father, the late S Rama Rao, was Director of Horticulture for all the Taj Hotels worldwide and a legend in his own right.
The sprawling property of 20 acres, opposite Bengaluru’s Race Course, is steeped in colonial history and vintage memories. With majestic trees as old as 180 years, the garden is lush and wild.
The space is carbon negative and, as you walk down its winding paths or drive around in the buggie like I did, you are reminded of what the Garden City was like a few decades ago. The air is fresh and cool, at least 4 to 5 degrees cooler than the rest of the city’s. There is so much natural shade that you don’t need a parasol or shades to protect yourself from the blazing sun on a warm afternoon.
“No urea or sulpate-based fertilisers are used and the pesticides are all natural,“ says Prasad, sounding like a proud father. His team of 15 “foot soldiers” has been doing a commendable job.
A stately raintree, which is estimated to be around 180 years old, stands tall and proud. About 80 per cent of the trees are over a century old. The various watering holes that dot the property are home to at least 50 species of water lilies.
The constant twittering of birds is like music to ears that are weary from the constant honking on city lanes. The shrubs and grass varieties are diverse and all vegetation depends on the availability of light and shade.
A whopping 150 kilo litres of water is needed every day, and most of it is treated and recycled water. There aren’t too many flowers here because they need sunlight and a whole army of people to tend to them regularly.
The hotel’s gardens is biodiverse with natural predators such as lizard, frogs and spiders. Rodents are a nuisance and hence have to be shunted out. “They are not killed, rat traps are placed and they are moved to another location,” says Prasad. Hens and their chicks roam around in corners, pecking on harmful insects.
Aging and evergreen Cycads can be found all around.
There’s one interesting plant called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, which has three different colours of flowers. There’s a cozy butterfly park, lots of triangular palms, a host of orchids, antique peepal trees, ferns of all kinds, water palm, and tall and lanky Christmas Trees (spruces). Mango trees dot the space. If you spend time here, you are sure to hear the Coppersmith Bobbitt bird singing many a song and may even spot tiny nests hidden in the scrubs.
Luminescent Golden Cypress, which glow in the night, are found near the entrance as you drive into the hotel porch. You may even spot three well fed male turkeys strutting around the place and inside there are white geese too. The turkeys are the major focus of attention for hotel guests who are thrilled to pose for photos with them!
The lobby houses the famous Ficus tree that gets sunlight through the sky light. TheRoad side trees have been given a fresh lease of life as some have been transplanted into the hotel premises, under Prasad’s watchful eye.